A pair of rare baby barn owls recently born in Delta are thriving thanks to the support of a local non-profit organization.
The wild birds were born in September at a barn run by non-profit organization Earthwise Society.
This threatened species only breeds in two Canadian provinces - B.C. as well as a small area in southern Ontario.
Patricia Fleming, executive director of Earthwise Society, said barns are vital since habitat loss and development means the owls have fewer areas for foraging and nesting.
“Barns do provide really important habitat for barn owls and one of the reasons that they are threatened is because so many barns are disappearing,” she said.
David Robinson, a Earthwise Farm volunteer and board member, said cameras were installed to help volunteers study the birds.
“This is very unusual for barn owls to have a second brood in the same year. Probably only about ten per cent of barn owls do that,” he said. “We’re so pleased that we’re able to have so many successful births with our parents here.”
Eight-year-old Skyla Smith was one of the young visitors who received an owl education at the farm.
“I learned that they eat little animals and that owls are endangered,” she said. “There’s lots of different kinds of owls and everybody’s trying to take care of them.”
Earthwise Society is also reaching out to the community, especially farmers, urging them to provide safe nesting sites.
“It’s beneficial for the farmers because the barn owls keep the rodent population down and they preclude the need for pesticides,” he said.
Now nine weeks old, the owls are just learning to fly. Over the next four weeks the mother and father owls will teach their youngster to fly and forage on their own.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Michele Brunoro
